* For more on San Jose State, check our new blog: SpartanCentral, with beat writer Jimmy Durkin.

Action: San Jose State hires Greg Robinson as defensive coordinator, switches back to the 4-3.Reaction I: Good hire. Very, very good hire. Robinson is a Pac-12/Big 12-caliber coordinator who should provide the Spartans with the tactical expertise they need to compete at a high level in the Mountain West.Reaction II: It did not take Robinson long to change alignments back to the 4-3. The move confirms what many believe, myself included: SJSU committed a major gaffe in switching to the 3-4 last year. (My concerns with the move, expressed before the season, are here.)Reaction III: Quick background on the situation: Then-defensive coordinator Kenwick Thompson implemented the 3-4 last year out of personal preference, even though the Spartans didn’t have the personnel to execute it at a high level. (Ultimately, responsibility falls on HC Ron Caragher.) That’s the very definition of bad coaching — Thompson should have tweaked his system to suit the personnel. The decision to use the 3-4 last year contributed to the Spartans missing out on a bowl bid. Had they stopped San Diego State or Navy late in the year, they would have been bowl-bound.

Action: Cal basketball hosts Utah and Colorado.Reaction I: It’s getting dicey for the Bears. Reaction II: The selection committee no longer emphasizes a team’s performance in the final 10 games — all wins are weighted equally. But there’s also a subjective component (the eye test), and it’s hard to imagine the Bears faring well in that regard given how they have performed lately.Reaction III: That’s another way of saying the Bears are inching toward serious trouble. They need to sweep the Mountain schools, and they would be well served by form holding in conference tournaments across the country. A spate of upsets, with teams that wouldn’t make the at-large field qualifying via automatic berth, would be problematic.

Action: Stanford hosts Colorado and Utah in final week of regular season.Reaction I: It’s headed down to the wire for the Cardinal, which should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the underperforming Dawkins era closely.Reaction II: I believe the Cardinal will make the NCAAs unless 1) It gets swept by the Mountain schools and loses in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament, or 2) It splits with the Mtn schools, loses its first game in the Pac-12s and there are a handful of upsets in other conference tournaments. (Remember: Every team competing for the final 6-8-10 at-large spots will have warts.)Reaction III: A sweep this week would allow Stanford to exhale in the Pac-12s and on Selection Sunday. But when you consider Stanford’s talent and experience and the lack of elite teams in the Pac-12 — there is just one — the only conclusion that can reasonably be drawn is this: The situation should not be as precarious as it is for the Cardinal. I’ll have more on Selection Sunday and Dawkins’ future next week.